February 16, 2008

Back to basics. Home cooked meals and good old fashioned 80s cartoons. I can’t remember how many Saturday mornings I spent in our old basement on the couch glued to glorious product-placement TV (reference: Mars Choco-Bot Hour). There are way too many Saturday morning cartoons to remember. I’d credit Star Wars with the onslaught of Sci-Fi themed cartoons. Lucasfilm was responsible for a few 80s cartoons of its own, including Ewoks and Droids. The two most insignificant character-types from the movies.

George Lucas said that a major influence on the shaping of his films were classic japanese samurai films. One of the most famous Japanese filmakers that Lucas credits as an inspiration is Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa was famous for using film in unique ways that hadn’t really been thought of during his lifetime (1910-1998). One notable storytelling technique that he developed was to have the story initially follow the most insignificant characters, and use them as a conduit into the larger story. For instance, introducing a galactic civil war through the eyes of two arguing droids.

Obviously though the cartoons where what they were, just simple kids stories. Although simple plots and cheap animation didn’t stop animation houses from inserting moral messages (usually in a really obvious way). Writing cartoons only meant for children is an easy way to ensure they don’t last long. That’s why shows like The Simpson’s and Family Guy have such a large fan base. They’re rarely intended for children, and only with adult supervision in most cases. I think my cousins weren’t allowed to watch The Simpson’s for a number of years growing up. Personally I recall watching the series premiere during Christmas-time 1989. I was in third grade, and it was glorious. Although I don’t think I respected the show as a commentary on society until I was in high school and college.

Pics: Good old fashioned product placement cartoons, and my first home cooked meal in a while.